


Finding a Normal

by ambivertedintrovert



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Astro boyd was so good, Donald is there in the beginning, Huey and Boyd are best friends, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, also Huey loves the junior woodchuck camp but never made any real friends, huey finds his normal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:55:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24197062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambivertedintrovert/pseuds/ambivertedintrovert
Summary: The Junior Woodchucks had turned out to be the dream Huey never knew he had. It had everything; from the open outdoors to facts to badges to the secrets of the world. To top all that, it came with a book that contained every single detail and rule he could learn. The 7 year old boy couldn’t imagine why his brothers would leave such an opportunity.And for a few years, the world seemed perfect. He could handle any disruptions, unless they’d be severe enough for him to lose track. Then his brothers would intervene and it would all be normal.But ‘normal’ is relative.
Relationships: B.O.Y.D. (Disney: DuckTales) & Huey Duck, Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck
Comments: 5
Kudos: 94





	Finding a Normal

When Huey was around 7, Donald had decided that the triplets should join the Junior Woodchucks- after all, his cousin and his sister (he wasn't sure whether he should call her their _mother_ , not yet, anyway) had been Senior Woodchucks. Even if he clearly didn’t want the boys to know their family, he could at least keep their legacy alive.

He was pretty amused to see Louie drop out within a week, complaining about the mosquitoes and the randomly placed stones and twigs. 

However, he grew worried when Dewey left the camp a month later. He said there were too many rules and that they wouldn’t allow him to have fun. The troop leader had mentioned that he nearly fell of a high tree while trying a stunt, so Donald figured it was for the best. But now, he spent the next few weeks anxiously waiting for Huey to join his brothers at home.

He stopped worrying after a year.

The Junior Woodchucks had turned out to be the dream Huey never knew he had. It had everything; from the open outdoors to facts to badges to the secrets of the world. To top all that, it came with a book that contained every single detail and rule he could learn. The 7 year old boy couldn’t imagine why his brothers would leave such an opportunity.

And for a few years, the world seemed perfect. He could handle any disruptions, unless they’d be severe enough for him to lose track. Then his brothers would intervene and it would all be normal.

But ‘normal’ is relative.

* * *

When the triplets started living in McDuck Manor, ‘normal’ changed. Louie, the one who’d usually have the hardest time coping with surprises, seemed comfortable suddenly becoming the great-nephew of _the richest duck in the world_. Dewey literally thrived on changes. Huey was initially enjoying himself too.

He didn’t even realise when adventures started becoming more fun (at least for his brothers) than his tales in the Junior Woodchucks.. Whenever he’d call Dewey, he’d be on a random mystery with Webby. Louie would usually come on demand, but sometimes even he’d be busy ~~watching television and drinking five cans of pep~~. They wouldn’t even be ready to join the group projects.

But he was Hubert Duck. He wouldn’t let such a petty issue stop his fun at the Junior Woodchucks. He’d talk to the rest of the woodchucks; they were in the same camp, so they were bound to enjoy it as much as him.

It didn’t work. They would call him too serious. A nerd. A ‘robot’. 

He initially felt pride on hearing the term ‘robot’. Robots, of course, were highly sophisticated and copied down huge amounts of data at a time. But then, he’d realise that they either meant ‘emotionless’ or ‘mechanical. He understood they meant the latter.

Hoping for advice from his brothers, he called them for a meeting. It had nearly been a week since they had actually talked properly, and only Dewey didn’t seem to realise it.

“Huey, you look worried. What happened?” asked Louie, faking a smile.

“Be honest, am I like a robot?” asked Huey. He felt hurt and turned away when Dewey laughed.

Dewey noticed this. “Huey, I’m sorry. The question was just so sudden it didn’t feel right.”

“Feel right?”

“You know, when something just crosses your head and you just can’t believe it.”

“Oh. Are you saying I’m not a robot?” There was a sudden glimmer of hope in Huey’s eyes.

“Actually, you are sometimes like one-”

“What he means is,” interrupted Louie, sending a glare towards Dewey when Huey wasn’t looking, “What he means is, you can remember so many things at once, it’s genius! Almost like a robot!”

“Yep, that’s exactly what I meant,” nodded Dewey, placing a hand on Huey’s shoulder. “No, but seriously, did anyone say something? Otherwise I’ll punch them so hard in the face they’d be sorry for-”

“No Dewey, it’s fine.” And with a huge smile, he grabbed both of them into a group hug.

It felt so good to have his younger brothers on his side again.

* * *

But progress was always little. He hoped to befriend the other woodchucks by showing them the skills he had gathered over the years, and when he’d see at least a hint of appreciation, someone would make a snarky comment and spoil any of his chances. He suddenly realised why Violet decided to work in the background; considering how little she expressed her emotions, she would be taunted more.

He’d talk to her about this later. She’d probably have really good advice. 

While days passed, he felt more left out. He didn’t know what was considered ‘normal’ anymore. He didn’t know what _he_ was anymore. The occasional talks with his family helped in rewinding the events, but nothing else. (He also found out his mom was like Dewey, threatening to hurt anyone who hurt her son.) 

But with all the puzzles he faced, he decided he was the most confused, and later pleased, when he met Boyd, a ‘definitely real boy’. For once, he was actually shocked to see someone think like him.

“I’m Huey; also real,” he had said, still internally rejoicing on being recognised for his skills. He was sure this would be the start of an amazing friendship.

He didn’t realise how unusual it would get. Boyd turned out to be a robot with lasers shooting out of his eyes. So much for finding a real friend. Maybe Huey _was_ a robot. 

But Boyd was human, he concluded. And he _cared_. So while Huey and Boyd roamed around Tokyolk, and the latter’s glitches escalated, Huey watched in concern and... fascination. 

“Are you sure you’re not bored?" he had said, suddenly stopping reading out the facts. He forgot others usually didn't share his common interest. " Usually my brothers are begging me to stop.”

“Are you kidding? I’m having so much fun!” was the unexpected response. Huey felt his self-confidence grow in seconds. 

And when he told Boyd, “I don’t think you’re a killer robot. You’re just a kid,” Boyd’s answer, “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” told him the feeling was mutual.

Eventually, he figured out that they were both a little like robots (Boyd being a literal robot) trying to show the world that it’s _okay_ to be that way. It didn’t mean they were less capable. It didn’t mean they couldn’t face the world. It didn’t mean they didn’t understand other people.

It just meant they were ‘wired a little differently’. They were normal in their own way.

And as Huey ran to his family once he said his goodbyes to the scientists and Boyd, after the tiring journey in Japan, he knew he found _his_ normal.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I've been wanting to write something for Astro B.O.Y.D. ever since I saw the episode, but I was pretty busy. I tried to keep all the characters in context, but some areas may show my opinions too.
> 
> In case anyone noticed, I have mentioned Violet not participating directly in events. While I feel it may be that she felt that a lot of time was going into manual work and less into study, I think it could also be because she couldn't exactly make any friends there. This headcanon is probably coming from my personal experience, so it's fine if you have different opinions! I'd like to discuss them too!
> 
> Anyhow, thank you all for reading this! (In case of anything feel free to inform me.) Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


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